


Sleepless Nights

by OrangeRaven989



Series: Annette/Claude Cinematic Universe [2]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Established Relationship, F/M, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Golden Deer Route, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Golden Deer Route Spoilers, Fluff and Angst, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Rare Pairings, Sauna, Sleep Deprivation, Sleepy Cuddles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:20:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28155978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OrangeRaven989/pseuds/OrangeRaven989
Summary: As the war rages on, Annette and Claude both have trouble sleeping and neither can manage to relax. So they do what anyone would do--sneak into the sauna after-hours.Sequel to "A Song for the Sunrise" but also stands on its own.
Relationships: Annette Fantine Dominic/Claude von Riegan
Series: Annette/Claude Cinematic Universe [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2062686
Comments: 4
Kudos: 13





	Sleepless Nights

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so maybe I take some liberties with this one... but I think it's kind of cool that Annette never really has children in any of her paired endings (except Dimitri, where it's only implied) and wanted to roll with that, and what better way to do that than to use it to help nudge Claude toward the idea of democracy?
> 
> Also, it took FOREVER to come up with the title for this one and I still don't like it. But oh well.

Something stirred, and for a moment Claude lay still in his bed. But then that moment passed and he pried his eyes open to the darkness of the room. At first nothing seemed off. But he shifted, retracting his hand, and found that there was nothing there. Something was missing. Still half-asleep, he slowly pushed himself up, suppressing a yawn. Through the darkness he could just barely make out the dim light of a candle and a shadowy figure sitting at his desk.

“Wh-what are you doing over there?” he mumbled, still shaking off the clutches of sleep.

The shadowy figure shifted. “Oh, sorry… did I wake you? I was trying to be as quiet as possible.”

“Everything okay?” He tossed the blankets aside and rubbed his eyes. The room began to focus, and he could make out the general blur of Annette’s face in the low light. Notably, she was not in the bed with him.

She sighed and turned back to whatever it was she was looking at on the desk. “I couldn’t sleep.”

He held his head up with a weak fist. “Yeah, I know,” he replied. “That’s why you came here in the first place.”

“Sorry.”

He could hear scribbling. He yawned and fell back against the pillows. They’d only been dating for a month or so, and they were still taking things a bit slow, especially considering the circumstances. Between war council meetings, training, and planning their attack on the Great Bridge of Myrddin (and the Empire as a whole, as well), finding time to sit together and have the important, relationship-defining discussions couples were prone to having was proving difficult. They still hadn’t gone public yet, though it was practically an open secret around the monastery at this point.

But with everything going on, they were both having trouble sleeping. And one night about a week into their relationship she came to his door, nearly crying with dark circles under her eyes, asking if she could cuddle with him in a desperate attempt to get some amount of sleep. And he obliged, of course. Now it had almost become a habit that one of them would go to the other’s room every few nights. Sometimes it helped, sometimes it didn’t. But he couldn’t deny how nice it was to have her so close on those nights.

He watched her for a moment; hunched over something, working hard. He closed his eyes. She was so stubborn—not that he had any room to talk. Despite how good for each other they may have been in most areas, one particular issue stood out. Neither of them knew how to properly deal with stress. And as hard as it was for him to lie there and watch her keep working despite lack of sleep, he had no idea how to get her to relax. Probably because he couldn’t find any way to relax either, and had only managed to drift off to sleep earlier because he was lucky enough to have a soft, warm bedfellow to cuddle with.

Maybe it was selfish of him, but he really needed her to come back to bed.

Eventually she slumped, groaning. “I just can’t figure it out,” she said.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. It was hopeless. So he slid out from under the sheets and stepped over to her. “What is it?”

She glanced up at him. “Oh, you don’t need to worry about it,” she said. “Go back to sleep, please.” She frowned. “I’m so sorry I woke you up.”

He put a timid hand on her shoulder. Silly, maybe, that he was still a little nervous about touching her, considering how frequently they ended up sharing a bed, but it was still new to him.

“Hey, don’t worry about it,” he replied gently. “But why are you over here working?”

She blushed. “Oh, um, Mercie told me it’s not good to just lie in bed when you can’t sleep, so I thought maybe I could take the opportunity to figure out the route for our attack on the Bridge of Myrddin.” She lowered her eyes. “But I’m really stuck.”

He sighed and squeezed her shoulder. “Annette,” he said, smiling with an almost sad look in his eye. “Please, come back to bed. We can figure this out tomorrow, together.”

She hesitated, her mouth open as if readying an excuse, but she quickly closed it and pressed her lips tight. She took a deep breath. “Claude, I… I don’t know what’s happening to me, but I’m really scared.”

“I know.”

She furrowed her brow. “I’ve never been this bad before,” she continued. “I mean, I’ve always had trouble sleeping, just because I can’t shut my mind off, but… you know, it was always about school and stuff. Now…” She swallowed. “The things that keep me awake are… terrifying.”

He took her hand and pulled her to her feet before wrapping his arms around her. He held tight, shivering at her warmth against him, pressing a firm kiss to the top of her head. His insides were a mess—there was just so much going on, such a cocktail of feelings mixed up inside him that he could barely think. Concern for her well-being, sympathy for her predicament, understanding of her plight… and, of course, love. Just being able to hold her like this helped him to feel better, though it certainly didn’t solve any of the underlying problems. It didn’t help either of them sleep.

They sat together on the edge of the bed, Claude’s arm around her back, hand still gripping her shoulder, holding her to him. Her hands were together in her lap, fingers nervously fumbling around each other. Eventually she dared to rest her head against him.

“Come on, Annette,” he said. “Talk to me. What’s going on?”

She chewed her lip. “Too many things,” she replied. “All at once.”

“Like what?”

“I’m just…” she trailed off, closing her eyes and tensing up. “I… heard a rumor, about Fhirdiad.”

“About your friends?”

She shook her head. “No, it’s not that,” she said, lowering her voice to a whisper. “It’s about… my father. I don’t know if…” She turned her eyes up and looked deep into his own. “I don’t know if I’m ever going to see him again.”

He felt a pang in his chest. She had told him about Gustave, though with minimal detail. He knew the general situation, at least—that her father had left in disgrace a few years prior to her coming to Garreg Mach after what happened in Duscur. She hadn’t seen him since, and now there didn’t seem to be much of a chance of that happening until the end of the war. And with the way Dimitri was handling things over there, the likelihood of any of them surviving was… well, slim. He could only imagine what the weight of that was doing to Annette.

He thought about his own father, who he hadn’t seen in far longer. Who he couldn’t even acknowledge publicly. He shuddered.

“And that’s not all,” she said. But then she furrowed her brow and turned away. “I’m sorry, this is silly. You’re under so much more stress than I can even imagine, and I’m just sitting here complaining about everything.”

“Stop that, Annette,” he said quietly, gripping tighter. “Your feelings are valid. I don’t ever want you to think otherwise.” The candle on the desk flickered. “Stress isn’t a competition.”

She didn’t say anything.

“What else?” he prodded. “Nightmares? That’s one of mine.”

She slowly nodded. “Do you see the faces in the dark, too?”

“Yeah,” he replied. “The ones I killed, specifically.” He caught her eye. “I talked to Alois about that once.”

“What did he say?”

Claude scoffed. “He’s still working on that one.”

Her voice got small. “Claude, I… I’m also stressing out about… you know.”

“Us?”

She nodded.

His heart thumped. “About what I told you, is it?” In an effort to be fully transparent with the woman he had started a relationship with, he’d thought it best to tell her early about his true identity. Needless to say, she was surprised and needed some time to process it. It was one thing to be dating the future Duke Riegan. It was another thing entirely to potentially become the Queen of Almyra. And, apparently, the thought was only adding to her already overwhelmed state of mind.

“Well,” she began, hesitating. “Yeah, about that.” She swallowed hard, and even in the dim light he could tell she was blushing. “Claude, I’m not anything special. Certainly not special enough to… be a queen someday.” Her breathing picked up. “I don’t even know if that’s what I want. I told you, I want to be a teacher.” She caught his eye, though hers looked like they were almost pleading. “I don’t mind going to Almyra,” she hastily added. “In fact, from what you told me it sounds beautiful. I’d love to see it. But…”

He was trembling, his pulse rate high. Just hearing her unload like this was breaking his heart, but he had to let her speak. Let her open up. Prove to her that she was safe to tell him anything, no matter what it might be.

She paused for a long moment, and he wondered if she was finished. But just as he opened his mouth to respond she continued.

“And… also… there’s something else.” She closed her eyes again. “Something important.”

Chewing her lip, eyes still shut, she seemed to be trying to steady her breathing. He could only imagine how hard it must be for her to find the courage to give voice to her feelings like this. Probably terrified that she was about to ruin things for them. Of course, there was very little she could possibly say that would actually do that, but he could certainly understand the anxiety. He wasn’t immune to it, after all.

She took a deep breath and looked him in the eye. “I don’t know what I’ll want in the future,” she began. “I could totally change my mind. But… right now, I don’t think I want to have any children.” She pulled her lips into her mouth, letting the words hang there, as if it was the first time she ever said them out loud. It may have been. “That means… you wouldn’t have an heir to the throne, so…”

She sniffled, and after a brief pause he could hear a soft sob escape her throat.

“I’m so sorry.”

His eyes stung, and he realized there were tears forming at the corners. In an instant he pulled her into his arms, holding as tight as he could without crushing her. She gasped beside his ear and buried her face into his shoulder. The sobbing continued, and he gently stroked her back and gave her the space to let it out.

There was so much he wanted to say to her. So much he wanted to reassure her about. None of what she said bothered him, but trying to convince her of that was going to be difficult. Annette was a woman who couldn’t settle her anxiety, no matter how much she was convinced otherwise. But he had to try, even if he was terrible at it.

“Annette,” he said, looking her in the eye as she pulled back. “There’s nothing you need to apologize for.”

“But…”

He shook his head. “You’re allowed to want what you want,” he continued. “Just because I happen to be Almyran royalty doesn’t mean your hopes and dreams don’t matter. They matter a lot. They matter to me.”

Annette looked absolutely stunned—her jaw hung open but no words came out.

He smiled softly. “I know just saying that isn’t going to make you stop worrying, though. I know it wouldn’t for me, either.” Slowly he rose from the bed. “So, let’s go do something. Mercedes said it’s not good to just lie around when you can’t sleep, right?”

“Claude…”

He held out his hand, catching her eye. After a moment she cracked a gentle smile and took it, hoisting herself off the bed and standing beside him.

“Where are we going?”

He beckoned her to the door. “I have an idea.”

They stepped out of the room and into the hallway, still and silent in the dead of night. It was still cold, though as they approached the end of the Lone Moon it had begun to grow warmer. Still, the night air was crisp and they both huddled together as they walked out into the monastery grounds.

She took his hand into hers, and a shiver ran up his spine. It was warm. She was warm. A wave rolled over him, a tingle starting at his skull and coursing over every nerve in his body, and he breathed in deep and caught her scent in it. He would be forever grateful to whatever god or gods existed—whether the one the people of Fodlan believed in or some other deity—that somehow Annette had been nursing a crush on him in return, because the past month was probably only bearable because of her presence. The stress was destroying him, but the warmth of her hand in his gave him the strength to keep fighting.

For her. For the dream she told him about. Because that was also his dream.

And there was so much he wanted to tell her, especially after what he heard come out of her mouth. His heart still hurt—not that she said those things, but that she was worried he would think less of her for them. Of course he knew she wanted to be a teacher. If that was her dream, he would support her no matter what. And if she didn’t want children, then it was up to him to find a way to be okay with that, because such a decision was hers alone to make. He hated that she felt like she had to be _good enough_ for him, as if he didn’t also have to be good enough for her—or, better yet, that they could just love each other without either of them having to earn it.

But all those thoughts were jumbled up in his brain, and there was no way he could articulate them in a way that would make her feel better. He’d try, of course, once the rawness of the night had passed. And maybe he’d succeed. But Annette was a worrier, and he knew that when he fell in love with her. If he couldn’t handle that, then he didn’t deserve her.

They walked a while in silence before reaching the stairs that led to the sauna. She glanced at him, eyebrow raised, a curious expression on her face.

He just shrugged. “It’s supposed to help you relax, right?”

“You want to sneak into the sauna?” she asked, stifling a chuckle. “Sounds like something you’d do, but… do you know how to use it?”

“We’ll figure it out.”

She groaned as they climbed the stairs together and he picked the lock on the door. The room was still and quiet, and he wasn’t prepared for how dark it was. Which made sense, of course, now that he thought about it. No windows, no light. But Annette, quick thinker that she was, swirled her hand and conjured a fireball to light the room before sending it in the direction of the torches in the corners. Then she proceeded to light the woodstove, upon which the pile of rocks sat waiting.

It quickly grew hot. He found a basket of towels in the corner and brought it to her, setting it down on the lowest bench. She glanced at it for a moment before flushing.

“Um…” she began, dragging her eyes up to meet his.

It clicked, and he also blushed. “Ah, you don’t have to fully strip down, Annette… just put it on over your underwear.”

“Claude!”

He scratched his head. “Here,” he said, taking one of the towels. “We both turn around and put the towels on, then say when we’re done.”

She chewed her lip for a moment, face still beet red. Then she slowly nodded and tentatively picked up her own towel. Claude wandered to one of the corners and undressed, quickly wrapping the towel around his waist and fighting hard against the urge to peek. He wouldn’t, of course, but… it wasn’t like he didn’t want to. He thought back, earlier that night, when she’d snuggled up against him in his bed, when he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her in close. She’d nestled her head back in the crook of his neck, he’d buried his nose in her hair. It’d been so warm, so cozy. He hadn’t had time to think impure thoughts, really, since he’d fallen asleep so fast.

They’d already grown so close. His cheeks burned. He wanted nothing more than to get closer. To know her as well as he knew himself. To understand her at such a level that he could help soothe her anxiety and put her mind at ease. He wasn’t there yet. But hopefully the time they spent together like this would help.

“I’m… I’m ready,” came her voice from the other side of the room.

He smiled. “Yeah, me too.”

They both turned around and stepped toward the bench. His eyes landed on her form—her pale skin glowing in the low light. He could make out the freckles on her shoulders and upper back, on her chest, disappearing beneath the towel. He wondered how far they went, whether her stomach also had freckles or not. He was suddenly trembling, finding it difficult to stand. She was so close, so vulnerable. Then he turned and lifted the water bucket before slowly pouring a small amount onto the rocks. They hissed, and almost immediately the room began to fill with the steam.

Not quite the same as a normal trip into the sauna with professionals running the place, but it would do in a pinch.

She was already sitting on the bench when he returned. He sat beside her, leaving a little space between them. Watching out of the corner of his eye, he could see her fidgeting just a little, her eyes wandering, but then she closed them and leaned back, breathing deep. It was like he could see the wave of relaxation wash over her. He smiled. She deserved that moment of happiness. He sighed and joined her, leaning back, his hand brushing against hers as he propped himself up. Her eyes snapped open.

“Hey,” Claude said, glancing sideways and catching her eye, “mind if I admit something?”

She shook her head. “Of course not.”

“You told me before that you wanted to be part of something that brought people together from all over the world.”

She smiled. “People everywhere love to learn,” she replied. “It doesn’t matter if you’re from Faerghus or Adrestia or Liecester… or even Almyra.” She lowered her eyes. “And just think… maybe we could prevent the kinds or wars we’re fighting now if everyone got to know each other and realize that we’re not so different.” Then she shook her head. “But what did you want to admit?”

He chuckled. “It’s kind of funny,” he said. “But… I have the same dream. I mean, not the teaching part, but you know.” He turned his gaze up to the ceiling, as if he could see beyond it to the stars. “I’ve been afraid to say it out loud, though. No one here knows I’m part Almyran, except you, Annette. Not even Teach.” He sighed. “I just… don’t want to complicate things. I don’t want anyone to think I’m fighting this war for a different, more selfish reason.” He looked back at her. “But you talk about your dream so easily. I’m jealous.”

Her eyes widened. “Really?”

“Yeah,” he said simply. “There’s so much I admire about you, Annette, but I think your earnestness is what I love most. The fact that you can be so true to yourself without caring what anyone else thinks.” He paused, pondering a moment. “I think that’s why I was so drawn to your singing, too. You are who you are, and you’re comfortable in your own skin.” He could feel the sweat beading on his brow. “Like I said, I’m jealous.”

She was fidgeting again. “Claude, are you just ignoring what I said earlier?”

“Of course not,” he replied. “But I want you to know what I really think about you. I know you want to be a teacher, so I’m going to do whatever I can to help you make your dream come true.” He sat still for a moment, knowing that wasn’t exactly what she was referring to. He took her hand. “And hey, you know, the idea of power being inherited because of blood doesn’t exactly sit well with me.” He took a deep breath—his time trying to wrangle the Alliance leaders together may have jaded him, but maybe there was something to it. Annette’s mere presence was enough to make him more honest than he’d ever been, even if that meant questioning his own long-held beliefs. “Maybe the people should decide who leads them after all.”

She was silent, holding his hand tight, and he could see the sweat beginning to run down her jawline. Processing his words. “That’s… kind of revolutionary,” she said, still gazing at her feet.

He chuckled. “Just kind of,” he replied. “You know, maybe if we’re tearing down walls already, let’s just tear the whole thing down and start something new.” He tilted his head. “Something where everyone gets a say, no matter their background.” He hesitated, but then added, “Who needs heirs?”

Sighing, she leaned into him with a soft smile. “You might be the only royal in the world to consider abolishing the monarchy just because the girl you like doesn’t want children.”

He snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her in, despite the heat. “Worth it,” he said softly, then pressed a kiss into the side of her head. He could taste the salt of sweat. He kissed her again, then lifted her chin and met her lips. His heart hammered against his ribcage, and he could feel his own sweat pouring down his face. But he moved his hands to her bare shoulders, clammy but soft, and leaned into the kiss. She pushed against him, her hands reaching around to his back. After a long moment they broke for air.

He knew he was blushing. His entire face was hot, and not just from the sauna. She was blushing, too. He couldn’t tear himself away from her eyes, sparkling and beautiful, just like the ocean. She smiled at him, and in that moment he thought his heart would explode.

“So,” he said after a long pause, “are you feeling any better?”

She nodded slowly. “Actually, yeah, I am.” She grimaced. “Though now I’m a little wound up.”

“Well, they say that when your body cools off it makes you sleepy,” he replied. “And by _they_ I mean Professor Manuela. So walking back to the room should tire us out nice and good.”

“But I also kind of never want to move again.”

He chuckled and got up, slowly, steadying himself. His knees were still weak, and he could still feel his lips tingling. Letting himself be vulnerable was still hard, but she was making it easier. He was all about knocking down walls, wasn’t he? Maybe he needed to focus on his own as well.

The walk back was cold. Frigid, really. They huddled together the whole way, and before long they were once again in the comforting warmth of Claude’s room. The bed was soft and inviting, and the feeling of Annette snuggling up against him was almost too much to bear. She burrowed, her face finding the nook between his neck and shoulder, and he draped his arm over her and gently caressed her back through her nightgown. She shivered.

They both yawned. Then they both giggled.

“Hey,” she whispered.

He pulled back just a bit to catch her eye. “Hmm?”

“Thanks for tonight,” she said. “I really do feel better.”

He smirked. “The sauna’s no joke.”

Her eyes fluttered shut and she burrowed in further. “I don’t think it was the sauna,” she mumbled into his shoulder.

He kissed the top of her head and held her close. It was hard to keep his eyes open, so he stopped trying and let them fall shut, but he kept his hold on Annette, the absolute treasure of a woman who made his heart thump and his knees wobble and his breath catch every time he looked at her. The silence of the room was interrupted only by the faint sounds of her snoring, and as he slowly let sleep overtake him he smiled. Despite the horrible war raging around them they had, at least for the moment, found peace.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Find me on Twitter: [OrangeRaven989](https://twitter.com/OrangeRaven989)


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